A Mom's Quest to Teach is a regular column covering elements of teaching and learning (with an eye towards homeschooling), parenting, crafting, and all of the discoveries, joys, and daily roller coaster rides that occur while being a mom.

Friday, January 27, 2017

Book Club: Joseph had a little overcoat

We have been faithfully go to the library every two weeks since before Thanksgiving. My toddlers love it and I am also enjoying the journey back to reading.

Each month my son will choose two to six books to borrow from the library. I try to steer him towards books we do not own and at least one book each trip that his sister will also be able to read (i.e. board books).

I selected two of the books during our second visit in January 2017: Joseph had a little overcoat by Simms Taback and Groundhog stays up late by Margery Cuyler.

Story

Joseph had a little overcoat is adapted from a Yiddish folk song and set in Poland. Joseph's overcoat gets worn, so he turns into various articles of clothing until it becomes nothing. The moral: You can always make something out of nothing.

Teaching with Joseph had a little overcoat

A very straight forward way to use the book is to learn more about the song and the history of Poland (age appropriate for your child).

Arts & Crafts

There are many different ways to approach this book using arts and crafts.

Mixed Media - Your child can create their own artwork based upon the style of the book.

Flip book of the articles as they change in size

Weaving

Fruits and Vegetables - I have listed below a few ideas but there are a multitude of craft options when using fruits and vegetables as a starting point. Some of the ones depicted in the book are: watermelon, carrot, cucumber, potato, apple, squash, radish, corn, tomato, lettuce, and cabbage.

Barnyard Animals - There are also a lot of options to for animals such as puppets, paper plates, etc. Some of the animals depicted are: chickens, turkey, cat, dog, cow, horse.

Flowers - There are different flowers depicted on several pages including roses, tulips and daisies.

As a family, one could collect gently worn clothes that are outgrown and donate them to a local shelter or church.

If sewing is possible, children could take worn clothing and turn it into something else. They could cut it down to a smaller size for another member of the family. Or the clothing could be turned into an apron or plush animal.

Make a list of the fruits and vegetables depicted in the book. When shopping, you and your children can pick out the fruits and vegetables you wrote down to prepare at home.

Recycling

This book also offers the perfect opportunity to talk about reusing items and recycling items.

A Mom's Quest to Teach Pinterest

Copyright

Affiliate Links

Please note some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you purchase an item through this link, I will receive a commission. Please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Page for more information. Thank you.

Amazon Associates Disclosure

A Mom's Quest to Teach is "a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”